Public Health Major

Laila Azam	Clinical Assistant
Barbra J. Beck	Professor
Pamela Pinahs-Schultz	Associate Professor
	Professor

The mission of public health is to fulfill society’s interest in assuring conditions in which people can be healthy. Public health carries out its mission through organized, interdisciplinary efforts that address the physical, mental, and environmental health concerns of communities and populations at risk for disease and injury. Its mission is achieved through the application of health promotion and disease prevention technologies and interventions designed to improve and enhance quality of life. The core areas of public health include health services administration, biostatistics, epidemiology, behavioral sciences/health education and environmental health sciences.

Students in the Public Health major will also become eligible to sit for the Certified Health Education Specialist exam offered by the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing (NCHEC). NCHEC’s voluntary professional certification program establishes a national standard for individual health education practitioners. Health educators are professionals who design, conduct and evaluate activities that help improve the health of all people. These activities can take place in a variety of settings that include schools, communities, health care facilities, businesses, colleges and government agencies. Certified Health Education Specialists (CHES) are those who have met the standards of competence established by NCHEC and have successfully passed the CHES examination. The CHES designation after a health educator’s name is an indication of professional competency and commitment to continued professional development.

Learning Outcomes for the Public Health Program

Graduates of the Public Health Program:

1. Are able to use existing sources of health data, name the major causes of morbidity and mortality in the United States based on age and gender, and the important modifiable risk factors for each.
2. Can identify recommended clinical preventive services based on patient’s age, sex, and risk factor status using appropriate guidelines.
3. Demonstrate the communication and psychomotor skills required to provide appropriate, recommended preventive services.
4. Understand features of health systems that promote the integration and utilization of disease prevention-health promotion services.
5. Describe the clinical, ethical, and legal issues associated with case finding and screening programs.
6. Identify the roles of various health care providers, interdisciplinary health care teams, consultation/referral sources, and community resources in providing clinical preventive services and complementary clinical care
7. Understand the transmission of disease in clinical settings and demonstrate knowledge and skills necessary to take universal precautions.

These learning outcomes are delivered through a focused curriculum in disease prevention, quantitative skills, health service organization and delivery, and community dimensions of practice.

Suggested Minors

1. Health Education
2. Health Care Administration

Admission and Progression Standards

Students will be subject to Carroll University admission and progression standards.

Caregiver Background and Criminal History Check

The student must complete a Background Information Disclosure Form prior to community placements. Certain convictions may prevent or significantly limit the ability of the university to place a student in the field experience and internship courses resulting in the student being unable to meet the university’s graduation requirements.